Film driving apparatus



Oct. 12, 1937. o. wlTTEl.

FILM DRIVING APPARATUS Fi1ed`Ju1y e, 1955 INVENTOR: ZoWieL, BY M ../A

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FILM DRIVING APPARATUS Otto Wittel, Rochester,

N. Y., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Eastman Kodak Company, Jersey City, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 6, 1935, Serial No. 30,202

7 Claims.

My invention relates to lm handling apparatus in which the nlm is advanced serially past two stations, at one of which stations the nlm is advanced intermittently and is advanced continuously at the other station. The apparatus of my invention is peculiarly adapted for use in sound motion picture apparatus in which the nlm is advanced intermittently past the picture projecting gate and is advanced continuously past the sound reproducing gate. For moving the lm it is usually provided with sprocket tooth perforations along one or both of its edges which are adapted to engage with the teeth of suitable sprocket wheels over which it is trained in passing from the supply to the take-up reels.

In order to advance the film with as uniform a motion as possible past the sound reproducing station, it is generally desirable to employ a belttype drive, that is, one in which a smooth surfaced wheel or drum engages the nlm rather than a sprocket wheel. However, when a sprocket wheel is employed for advancing the nlm to the picture loop, some precautionary measures are necessary to make certain that the same total length of film is advanced by the sprocket wheel as is advanced by the drum, since otherwise, due to nlm shrinkage or slight differences in the pitch of the sprocket wheel or in the diameter of the drum, one of the drives will invariably advance the film at a greater rate than will the other. This difference in drive will result in either increasing or decreasing the length of lm in the picture loop with the obvious disadvantages, and in addition, will destroy synchronism between the sound being reproduced and the picture being projected, inasmuch as it is standard practice to have a picture and its corresponding sound spaced a definite distance along the length of the film.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved film driving apparatus in which the nlm is driven jointly by a sprocket and a drum and in which the sprocket is tended to be over-driven but limited in lm advancing speed to the lm advancing speed of the drum. Another objectof my invention is the provision of means controlled by the number of perforations passing the sound gate to regulate the tendency drive connection to the sprocket wheel whereby it will advance into the picture loop a length of film having the same number of sprocket perforations. In the form illustrated, my invention comprises a lm driven sprocket, a sprocket hole counter engaging the film at a point where it is driven by the drum and a braking means for the driving sprocket Whose braking action is actuated whenever the speed of the sprocket exceeds the speed of the sprocket hole counter. Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent when read in connection with the accompanying drawing, Fig. l of which is a diagrammatic representation 5 in perspective of a preferred embodiment of my invention, and Fig. 2 is a View in section of a free running braking connection.

In the apparatus illustrated a Iilm I0 is shown riven jointly by a sprocket II and a belt-type drive or drum I2 which elements the lm I0 engages serially in its passage through the apparatus. While the invention is applicable equally to a sound picture recording apparatus and a sound picture reproducing apparatus, I have chosen to illustrate it as applied to a reproducer. The lm I0 is advanced by the sprocket II into a free loop` I3 from which it is drawn through a picture projecting guide I4 by suitable intermittent mechanism I5. The lm I0 leaving the picture guide I4 enters a free loop I6 from which it is drawn over a free running sprocket I1 and a sound gate I 8 by the drum I2 around which the lm is looped, an idler I9 being provided for holding the nlm I 0 looped around the drum I2 in a well known manner. It will be understood that suitable reels, not shown, are provided from which and to which the nlm I0 is wound. It will also be understood that other portions of the complete apparatus which form no part of my invention and which are unnecessary to the complete understanding thereof have been omitted since their inclusion in the drawing would obscure, rather than make clear, the invention.

The sprocket II is mounted on a shaft 20 and is adapted to be driven by a suitable motor 2l through a connection comprising a pulley 22 mounted on the motor shaft and connected by a belt 23 to a driven member 24 which in cooperation with a plate 25 forms a friction clutch. The plate 25 carries a gear 26 which meshes with a gear 2'I mounted on the sprocket shaft 2U. With this arrangement it will be seen that there is provided a yielding or slipping connection between the motor 2I and the sprocket II. This 4 slipping connection may be provided in any suitable manner or by any Well known mechanism, such as permitting the belt 23 to slip on its pulleys or by making the clutch of any type which will transmit sufficient torque to drive the sprocket II but which is capable of being slipped so that the member 24 may be driven at a greater speed than the member 25.

The drum I2 is also adapted to be driven by the motor 2I by any suitable connection such as a pulley 28 mounted on the motor shaft and connected by a belt 29 to a pulley 30 mounted on the shaft 3I which carries the drum I2. From the above description it will be seen that there is an elastic drive connection between the motor 2I and the sprocket II and a direct speed ratio drive between the motor and the drum I2.

The lm I9, as above described, is pulled by the drum I2 over the sound gate I8 which is provided with a suitable aperture 32 at which the sound is taken off in any well known manner as by means of a lamp 33 and optical System 34 for illuminating the sound record and a lightsensitive cell 35 for receiving the light beam as modulated by the sound record. The free running sprocket I1 which engages the film at a point where it is moved by the drum I2 is driven by the lm and constitutes a perforation counter. This sprocket I1 is shown as` being of the same size as sprocket II and in order to cause the same length of iilm to be advanced by the drum I2 and the sprocket II, the sprocket I1 is employed to limit the speed of the sprocket II in the following manner. The sprocket I1 is secured to a shaft 36 which carries at its other end a disc 31 provided with a pin 38 to which is secured one end of a coil spring 39. As best shown in Fig. 2, the coil spring 39 surrounds a stationary shaft 49 which is rigidly secured to a portion 4I of the frame of the apparatus by means of a nut 42. A section 43 of the shaft 40 is provided with a reduced diameter and serves as a bearing for a gear 44 which is provided with a pin 45 to which the other end of the coil spring 39 is anchored. The gear 44 meshes with a gear 46 carried by a shaft 41 to which is secured a second gear 48 which meshes with a gear 49 carried by the shaft 20 of the sprocket II so that the gear 44 is rotated at the same angular speed as the sprocket II. 'I'he arrangement just described constitutes an irreversible rotating connection in that the gear 44 rotates in a direction tending to coil the spring 35 and thereby cause it to grip the shaft 40 to bring about a braking action on the gear 44.

The disc 31 which rotates with the sprocket hole counter I1 tends to uncoil the spring 39 and release its braking action so that whenever the disc 31 and the gear 44 are rotating at the same angular speed the spring 39 and shaft 49 constitute a free running connection. However, whenever the gear 44 starts to rotate faster than the disc 31, the spring 39 grips the shaft 40 to institute a braking action and the gear 44 is caused to slow down until the braking action ceases or nearly ceases. This slowing down of the gear 44 and also of the sprocket I I is permitted by the slipping drive above described between the motor 2l and the sprocket Il.

With the apparatus above described the motor 2|, through a slipping drive tends to -drive the sprocket II at a greater velocity than it drives the drum I2, and due to the braking action applied by the spring 39, the tendency driving torque is overcome to the extent necessary for preventing an over-drive of the sprocket II.

For the purpose of illustration I have shown a particular type of sound head but it will be understood that my invention is applicable equally to any well known sound head in which a drum is used for advancing the film through a scanning beam.

While I have shown a specific type of braking means between the sprocket hole counter and the film driving sprocket, it will be understood that my invention is not limited thereto since any suitable means may be employed for performing this function. Other arrangements and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is covered by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. Film driving apparatus for advancing two portions of a film at the same linear speed comprising a sprocket and a drum arranged to engage the iilm serially with a free loop of lm therebetween, a motor for driving the sprocket and the drum, a connection between the motor and the sprocket tending to drive the sprocket at a speed to advance the lm faster than it is advanced by the drum, a second sprocket adapted to be rotated by the film as it approaches the drum, a stationary shaft, a coiled spring surrounding the shaft, one end of said spring being connected to the motor driven sprocket so that rotation of this sprocket coils the spring thereby causing it to grip the stationary shaft, and the other end of said spring being connected to said second sprocket so that rotation thereof uncoils the spring, whereby the lm driving sprocket will be rotated at a speed corresponding to the speed of the lm driven sprocket.

2. Film driving apparatus comprising a sprocket and a drum arranged to engage the film serially, a motor for driving the sprocket and the drum, a slipping connection between the motor and the sprocket capable of transmitting enough torque to drive the sprocket, a second sprocket arranged to be engaged and rotated by the film as it approaches the drum, and connecting means between said second sprocket and the motor driven sprocket for overloading said connection to cause it to slip whenever the motor driven sprocket tends to drive said second sprocket.

3. Film driving apparatus comprising a lm feeding sprocket, a driven clutch for continuously driving said sprocket, a driven drum for advancing the lm at a uniform velocity, a sprocket adapted to be engaged and driven by the film as it approaches the drum, and an irreversible driving connection between said film driven sprocket and saidclviitch driven sprocket for limiting the speed of'tlelatter to the speed of the former.

4. Film driving apparatus comprising a drum arranged to engage and advance a lm, a motor for driving the drum, a sprocket hole counter arranged to engage the lm being advanced by the drum, a sprocket for advancing another portion of the lm, a driving connection including a clutch between the motor and the sprocket adapted to drive the sprocket at a speed greater than the speed at which the film drives the sprocket hole counter, braking means for limiting the speed of the sprocket, and means responsive to any increase in the speed of the sprocket relative to the speed of said counter for actuating said braking means.

5. Apparatus for driving a film provided with sprocket tooth openings comprising a sprocket and a drum arranged to engage the lm serially, a motor having driving connections with the sprocket and the drum, a sprocket adapted to be rotated by the film at a point where the lm is moved by the drum, a slipping drive in the connection between the motor and the sprocket, and a coupling between said sprockets for preventing rotation of the sprocket connected to the slipping drive at a speed greater than the speed at which the lm driven sprocket is rotated, said coupling including means controlled by the film driven sprocket for retarding the motor driven sprocket.

6. Film driving apparatus comprising a sprocket and a drum arranged to engage a lm serill, means for driving the sprocket and drum, a sprocket hole counter arranged to engage the lm where it is moved by the drum, an irreversible driving connection between the sprocket and the sprocket hole counter whereby the sprocket cannot rotate at a speed greater than the speed of the sprocket hole counter, and a. friction clutch between the driving means and the sprocket.

7. Film driving apparatus comprising a illm advancing drum and a lm advancing sprocket, a motor for driving the drum, a driven clutch for continuously driving the sprocket, one member of the clutch being driven by the motor at a Velocity greater than it drives the drum, and means for applying a braking torque to the other member of the clutch when the sprocket is advancing the lm at a greater velocity than it is advanced by the drum.

O'I'IO WITTEL. 

